Three Ways To Fight Disease With Your Mind

Three psychological approaches which improve health at the cellular level.

Practising mindfulness meditation, yoga or being involved in a support group have positive impacts at the cellular level in breast cancer, a new study finds.

The study, conducted at Canadian cancer centres, found that breast cancer survivors who practised meditation and yoga or took part in support groups had longer telomeres, part of the chromosome thought to be important in physical health.

Dr. Linda E. Carlson, who led the study, said:

“We already know that psychosocial interventions like mindfulness meditation will help you feel better mentally, but now for the first time we have evidence that they can also influence key aspects of your biology.”

The role of telomores — protein complexes that book-end the chromosomes — is not fully understood, but shortened telomores have been linked to cell ageing and disease states.

Dr. Carlson continued:

“It was surprising that we could see any difference in telomere length at all over the three-month period studied.

Further research is needed to better quantify these potential health benefits, but this is an exciting discovery that provides encouraging news.”